India launches major digital drive for promoting engineering exports

Seeking to capitalise on promising growth potential of the world trade, the Commerce Ministry recently launched a major digital drive under the aegis of EEPC India for promoting the country’s engineering exports through the ‘Brand India’ initiative, reaching the major export destinations through technologies like E-Catalogue.

Launching the E-Catalogue in New Delhi on December 29, Ms. Rita Teaotia, Commerce Secretary, said E-Catalogue is among the pivotal components of Brand India Engineering initiative which intends to showcase India’s leading manufacturer suppliers with globally certified quality manufacturing credentials such as ISO, CE, ASI, DIN, etc., in select sectors.

“The E-Catalogue is aimed at overcoming a major hurdle for Indian exporters in global quality engineering markets by enhancing their credibility and providing an easy one stop access to establish contact for supply of engineering products,” she said in the presence of EEPC India leadership, including the Chairman, Mr. Ravi P. Sehgal.

Covering four major sectors – medical devices, textile machinery and accessories, electrical machinery equipment, pumps and valves, the E-catalogue would be compatible on different devices like Laptops, Tab and Mobile phones. The potential buyers, anywhere in the world, will be able to use features like Advanced Search with City, End Use Sector, Certificates and Product Categories.

It will have an option to download profiles of individual companies. There would be dedicated kiosks at major engineering exhibitions globally participated by EEPC India, besides back end support to circulate overseas sourcing queries, media publicity & promotion and digital promotion and SEO.

Mr. Sehgal said one of the sectors to be promoted through Brand India digital drive is the textile engineering.

It has the potential to be the largest manufacturing hubs for the world, second to China. There are over 1,600 textile machinery makers in India though the manufacturing facility of many of the existing units in the MSME sector need to be upgraded. The industry needs a Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) for modernization of the manufacturing facility/infrastructure like the textile industry.

Likewise, with state-of-the-art technology in most sub-sectors at par with global standards, the major export markets for Indian electrical equipment are the US, Germany, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, the UK, Nigeria, China, Kenya and Brazil. Given the need for electrical machinery and equipment and the current thrust of the Indian Government, this sector has naturally lent itself as a priority for ‘Make in India’.

In medical devices, India is well placed in some segments such as outsourced contract design, development, and manufacturing.

In the pumps and valves, Indian vendors are competing directly with global players, and have competitively positioned themselves by establishing wide distribution channels. The exposure to global competition has prompted Indian industry to work with good foresight and resilience to adapt to emerging trends.